HC Deb 15 March 1999 vol 327 cc443-4W
Dr. Tony Wright

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish a list of (1) task forces and (2) policy reviews established by his Department since May 1997 which(a) had external members recruited by way of public advertisement, and details of any person so appointed and (b) engaged in public consultation exercises, and the form that these took. [74468]

Mr. Chris Smith

The following task forces and policy reviews have been established since May 1997:

  1. 1. Task forces
    1. (i) Creative Industries Taskforce.
    2. (ii) The Football Taskforce.
    3. (iii) The Film Policy Action Committee.
    4. (iv) A group of sponsorship experts assisting sports currently in receipt of tobacco sponsorship to find replacement sponsors.
  2. 2. Policy Reviews
    1. (i) Review of Film Policy.
    2. (ii) Review of arrangements for celebrating the Millennium.
    3. (iii) Review of the National Lottery leading to the White Paper.
    4. (iv) Review of Policy on admission charging by National Museums (Subsumed into the Departmental Spending Review).
    5. (v) Review of the List of Nationally Important Sporting Events which must be made available on Free-to-Air Terrestrial TV Channels.
    6. (vi) Review of the future of the Royal Opera House and the English National Opera (Eyre Review).
    7. (vii) Review of the future funding of the BBC.
    8. (viii) Review of the efficiency and effectiveness of Government sponsored museums and galleries.
    9. (ix) Working Group on review of Legal Deposit.
    10. (x) The Library and Information Commission's public library network implementation Committee.

(a) Most task forces and reviews are short-term bodies established to give thorough consideration to important and difficult issues. External members are invited to sit on some reviews and task forces because they are able to contribute specific experience and expertise. In such cases, public advertising would be inappropriate and disproportionate. None of the appointments to the task forces and review groups listed above were made by way of external advertisement.

Since 1 October 1998, appointments to those task forces which qualify for classification as advisory NDPBs have come within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

(b) Public consultation exercises took place with the following:

  1. (i) The Football Taskforce—Regional roadshows allowed football supporters to give their views directly.
  2. (ii) Review of Film Policy—An industry consultation on the work of the Film Policy Review Group took place in 1997. The consultation period was for 2 months and replies were received in writing, in addition to being submitted orally.
  3. (iii) Review of the National Lottery—The public was asked for views on the proposals in the White Paper.
  4. (iv) Eyre Review—The Department issued a press release inviting written views from the public.
  5. (v) Review of the future funding of the BBC—The Department issued a press release inviting written views from the public.
  6. (vi) Review of policy on admission charging by National Museums, subsumed into the DSR consultation—The Department issued a consultation document on 24 July 1998 inviting public views.